TAMPA, JUNE 27, 2019 – University of South Florida Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly announced Thursday that Erik Jenkins has been named to the position of head coach of the men’s and women’s track and field/cross country program.
A native of Quincy, Fla., Jenkins has 17 years of Division I coaching experience and spent the last 11 seasons as the head track and field and cross country coach at Western Kentucky. During his time as head coach with the Hilltoppers, Jenkins led Western Kentucky to 30 Sun Belt and Conference USA team championships, was tabbed conference coach of the year 21 different times and was selected as the USFTCCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year five times.
Jenkins has coached seven conference freshmen of the year, 26 conference most outstanding performers and guided the Hilltoppers to 174 individual and 22 relay championships since 2008. In addition, Jenkins has coached 215 NCAA preliminary participants, 121 NCAA final participants and 84 All-Americans.
“Erik has a proven track record of excellence and has instilled a championship mindset and culture as head coach at Western Kentucky,” Kelly said. “His ability to recruit and develop talented student-athletes, along with his strong ties to the state of Florida, makes him the perfect fit to lead our track and field and cross country programs.”
In addition to his NCAA success, Jenkins has also coached five Olympic Trials qualifiers, four World Championship qualifiers and two Olympians.
“I am ecstatic about the opportunity to return to Florida and lead the track and field and cross country programs at USF,” Jenkins said. “USF provides an exciting platform for students to receive a world-class education and live in Tampa, one of the nation’s most vibrant cities. I will lead this program with unwavering passion and a strong sense of purpose. We want USF to be a destination for the nation’s best student-athletes to excel academically, develop their athletic skills and compete at the highest level they can. I want to thank Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly for the opportunity to lead this program, and I look forward to working with him and his staff.”
Jenkins was also an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at WKU from 2000-07.
Prior to coaching, Jenkins was a four-year letterwinner at Western Kentucky from 1995-99, where he was a Sun Belt Conference champion, NCAA qualifier and six-time all-league performer. His primary event was the long jump, and he was crowned Sun Belt champion and Performer of the Meet while qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 1999. He also competed for the Hilltoppers in the 200 and 400 meters and was a member of the 4×100 and 4×400 meter relays.
Jenkins earned his bachelor’s degree in mass communications from WKU in 2000 and earned a master’s degree in organizational communication in 2006. Jenkins has also received USATF Level II certifications in the sprints, jumps and throws. He has a daughter, Erykah, and son, Erik, and is married to the former Kacey Lusk.
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About USF Track and Field
The USF track and field team has produced 22 All-America selections since 2008 and at least one All-American in nine of the last 11 years. 2016 graduate Matthew O’Neal is USF’s first six-time NCAA All-American. USF has posted two NCAA runner-up finishes since 2013 – O’Neal (triple jump, 2016) and Courtney Anderson (high jump, 2013). The Bulls hosted the 2018 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary at the USF Track and Field Stadium.
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